Penang World Music Festival 2013 was a huge success!

Last 30^th & 31^st of March, hundreds of music lovers reveled in the exotic rhythms of folk music from all over the world that echoed throughout the Quarry Park, Penang Botanic Gardens.

12 music groups from all over the world including Malaysia; enchanted to festival goers with diverse genres of music; some leaving the audiece breathless with explosive performances.

The festival kicked off with an opening ceremony of Saturday, showcasing traditional dances of Malaysia. Alp Bora Quartet from Turkey/Austria took the stage as the opening act, followed by the Bulgarian group “Oratnitzia” with an assortment of genres including Bulgarian folklore, dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass and Aboriginal motifs. The next band was Rimba from Sabah, a world-jazz fusion group which prompted the audience to dance along. Kalayo from the Philippines came up next and proved to be a crowd favourite with their brand of ethnic  and folk rock. This was followed by Dagaya from Japan, showcasing the energetic beats of the Taiko Drums flown all the way from Nagoya. Portugese band “Mu” ended the night with an enchanting performance aided by unique sounds of the hurdy gurdy and other traditional instruments.

Sunday brought in bigger crowds, and the night opened with Nasout from Iran playing the “daf”paired with the melodious yodels of the “Tulum”. This was followed by the festival highlight Kimi Djabate from Guinea Bissau. Unfortunately 3 members of the band was not able to make it for the festival due to some immigration problems However, the show still went on as musicians from Kalayo, Rimba and Mu volunteered to help Kimi out with his performance. Kimi was followed by Inka Marka, serenading the audience with music from the Andes.

The crowd went wild when Malaysia’s very own AkashA took the stage and demanded for more after their high-energy performance. Dende came up next with renditions of original composition inspired by the art scene in Bahia, Brazil. This was followed by Saharadja from Indonesia who treated the audience with a diverse mix of rock and traditional Balinese music.The festival ended with the appearance of all the Penang World Music Festival 2013 artiste and a thunderous applause from the audience.

The Penang State Government would like to thank all the sponsors, partners and supporters of Penang World Music Festival 2013. Not to mention the various government agencies and volunteers which handed their help and support for the festival.

We hope to see all of you again next year in the 12 & 13 April 2013!

*photo by Yew Kok Hong